with Shelia Dansby Harvey
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Shelia Dansby Harvey
Shelia Dansby Harvey is a writer by early morning, a lawyer
by day and a Texas swing-out dancer at night. Her latest
offering, Aww Sookie, Sookie: Omar’s Revenge
completes the Raven Holloway/Omar Faxton trilogy that began
with Illegal Affairs.
Black Expressions Book Club described Shelia as, “the next
E. Lynn Harris,” when Illegal Affairs was released
and chose Bad Girls Finish First, the second book in
the trilogy, as a Black Expressions Editor’s Pick. Shelia
describes the novels as an entertaining mix of love
entanglements and mystery.
Shelia enjoys teaching and has served as an adjunct
professor at Texas Southern University’s School of Law and
Rice University’s Graduate School of Business. She is a
board member with Inprint, Inc., a non-profit organization
that champions reading and writing in Houston. Shelia is a
member of the National Bar Association and a strong
supporter of the YMCA.
Shelia and her husband (and dance partner!) Henry, live in
Houston.
Author's Official
Site:
http://www.sheliadansbyharvey.com
Author's Myspace Page:
http://www.myspace.com/sheliadansbyharvey
Contact The Author:
Click Here
Order Your Copy of Aww Sookie
Sookie:
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Urban Reviews: Tell us about
your newest novel Aww Sookie Sookie: Omar's Revenge.
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
Raven Holloway followers
known that at the end of Illegal Affairs, Raven left
her lover/rival, Omar, in a really, really bad way. The
brother didn’t forgive or forget and when circumstances bring
them back together he sets out to get his revenge. Raven,
being Raven is not about to go down easily.
Urban Reviews: What
made you want to become a writer?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
To be honest, I just fell into writing.
Some current event would get my blood boiling and to release
steam, I’d write an opinion piece, usually for the Houston
Chronicle. Then I wrote a short story about not visiting my
old Aunt O’Veria. That was my first fiction piece.
Urban Reviews: You've
experienced both the self-publishing world and the major
publishing world. What are some of the advantages and
disadvantages that you've noticed as an author who's been on
both sides of the fence?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
The advantage to being with a major
house is getting paid up front and having major distribution.
The major houses spiff your stuff up, minimizing the errors
that mar so many self-published efforts. Also, you get the
respect, which is a big deal. The good best thing about
self-publishing is that you get to be true to yourself, and
you’re not under anyone’s thumb. Either way, getting a scene
just the way you want it or getting the dialogue just right,
is pure heaven.
Urban Reviews: With
the recent boom in African-American Fiction releases, is it
even more challenging to market and promote your books?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
In a word: YES!!
Urban Reviews: Now
that the Raven Holloway trilogy is complete, what's next as
far as writing is concerned?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
Good question. I’m working on a
non-fiction bit that I’ll keep under wraps for now. So many
people love to hate Raven and despite the trilogy being
complete, they’re already asking for the next Raven adventure.
Urban Reviews: What's
the best advice any author has given you during your years in
the industry?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
Victor McGlothin told me, “You can write
a great book that doesn’t sell, or a crummy (my word, I’m
sure) book that’s marketed well.” His advice went to the
importance of marketing, and I never forgot it.
Urban Reviews: Why do
you think more African-Americans are reading these days
compared to years past?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
Is that true? I didn’t know that.
Urban Reviews: If you
had to do it all over again, would you change anything?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
I would have pressed my publisher to
give me a better cover for Illegal Affairs. It is a
fantastic book and the cover didn’t do it justice. I would
also have asked them to market Bad Girls Finish First
as a mystery rather than urban fiction. Bad Girls Finish
First is coming out in mass market paperback April 1st,
and it is being pushed as a mystery.
Urban Reviews: At the
end of the day, what do you want people to know most about
you?
Shelia Dansby Harvey:
That I’m a smart woman who loves writing
books for smart women! |
Read our review of Aww Sookie Sookie: Omar's Revenge in the
AA Fiction section.
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